


It's Always Been You

by teej_318



Series: Byler and Reddie Oneshots [15]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Artist Will Byers, Author Mike, Boys Hugging, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, Love Confessions, M/M, The rest of the party is just mentioned, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-28 06:16:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20059390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teej_318/pseuds/teej_318
Summary: Mike returns to Hawkins for the first time in 10 years. He's returning home on the last stop of his book tour and reunites with Will, Joyce and Hopper.





	It's Always Been You

Mike stepped out of the car and got his first look down Main Street. Not much had changed about Hawkins in the decade since had been away writing and publishing books. He was a successful author; his last five books had made _ The New York Times _ bestselling list and he was in talks with producers in Hollywood to make a film version of one of his books. All in all, he was satisfied with the direction his career was going, which is why he chose to return to his hometown for the final stop of his book tour. 

For the first time in many months, Mike would be able to take a breather and not have to attend events. He could just relax and catch up with all of those he had missed in the years he was gone. Mike wasn't due to start writing his next book until the following month, and he planned on spending every moment he could with all of those he loved in his hometown. 

Everyone in The Party had stayed in their hometown and found careers of their own. Dustin was teaching science at Hawkins High, having replaced Mr. Clarke when he retired. Lucas was an engineer and helped design aircrafts at the local plant. Max had taken a job as a sports writer for the Hawkins newspaper, becoming one of the most prominent sports reporters in Indiana. El was a therapist who owned her own practice and helped children with difficult pasts cope with their trauma, much as she had to when they were all kids. Like Lucas, Will had become a teacher, teaching art classes at Hawkins High and often hosting art galleries of his and his student's work at various exhibits around the state. 

Mike had missed them all dearly and was grateful for the time off he was going to have to spend time with all of them, and with his family. He took a sigh as he reminisced several memories at once while looking down Main Street. His publicist, Henry, approached Mike from the side.

"Not much has changed," Mike observed. "It's kinda weird to be back here, but it's nice all the same."

"I'm glad you could come back here," Henry said with a smile. "It'll be good for you to check out for a little while, though I'm gonna miss being your wake up call every morning."

"You're gonna miss me threatening to strangle you every time you wake me up?" Mike asked with a grin, which Henry returned.

"Sure, we'll go with that. Now, look, check out the display the owner set up."

Mike followed Henry's gaze over to the front window of the Hawkins Book Store. He had many fond memories of this store and it was surreal to Mike to see his own book on display in the window. Around two dozen copies of his latest book lined the display, along with a large photo of Mike that hung above it.

"It looks nice."

"I told the owner I'd kill his cat if he got it wrong," Henry bragged.

Mike chuckled slightly.

"Nice," he said as he followed Henry into the store. 

* * *

The line of people waiting to get an autograph and a quick meeting with Mike was starting to dwindle. Mike was privately relieved that it was coming to an end. Though he always appreciated meeting with his readers, it didn't feel as authentic as meeting with someone who knew him well. 

"Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy it, Cameron," Mike said with a smile to a teenage girl who had shyly asked for his autograph. Behind Cameron and her mother, a man about Mike's age stepped forward, looking rather nervous.

"Hi Mike," the man said.

Mike's eyes widened and he looked up at the man.

"Will?" Mike exclaimed. "Oh my god, Will, hi!"

"Hi," Will said with a smile as Mike stood up and walked around the table where he was signing books. Mike pulled Will into a rib-cracking hug.

"Oh my god, it's so good to see you! I'm really glad you came!"

"Of course I came, Mikey!" Will said with a grin as he broke the hug and looked at Mike happily. "When Nancy called to tell us you were coming to town, I might have asked if she could swing getting me a free ticket to come here, and she got me one!"

"Remind me to thank her when I go home after this," Mike replied as he sat back down and grabbed a copy of his book. "This one is on the house, Will."

"Mike you don't have to do that..."

"Of course I do! My best friend automatically gets a free copy of my book!"

Mike grabbed the sharpie he had used to sign copies of his book and scribbled a note to Will in it before he signed it and handed it back to Will, who took it with his face blushing.

"Thanks, Mikey."

"Anytime, Willie," Mike said happily. "Hey Henry! Can you come and get a picture of me with Will?"

Henry nodded and hurried over, pulling out the camera he was using to take some photos of the book signing. Mike stood back up and wrapped his arms around Will and posed for a photo. Henry quickly snapped the photo before nodding at Mike, who turned to face Will and hugged him again.

"I'm really glad to see you, Will. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Mikey," Will whispered back. There was so much unspoken between them, but it didn't need to be said aloud. They understood each other perfectly. They always did. "Hey, listen, would you wanna come over for dinner tonight? I got the house from Mom and Hopper when they moved in together, so I have plenty of room. You could even stay the night, just like old times!"

"I would love to, Will! I know my parents were expecting me to have dinner with them tonight, but I think they'd understand, since they love you and all."

Will blushed slightly and smiled at Mike.

"Great. I'll call Mom and have her and Hopper come over too. I know they'd love to see you and catch up!"

"Yeah, that sounds great, Willie! I'll see you around what, 6 or so?"

"Perfect. See you later, Mikey."

* * *

It was odd for Mike to be driving up to the old Byers' home. He was so used to riding his bike up to the house that it almost felt wrong being in a car. He grinned to himself as he shut off the car and exited it. Mike knocked gently on the front door, the anticipation starting to get to him.

The door opened in seconds and Will's face lit up as he saw Mike.

"Hey Mikey!" Will said as he threw his arms around Mike again.

"Hi Willie!" Mike exclaimed, giggling as he held onto Will. "Oh my god, it's been a couple of hours!"

"I know, but I haven't seen you in so long. It's just good to hug you again."

"Yeah, it is, Willie," Mike said happily as he followed Will through the front door and Will shut the door behind them. 

Mike barely had enough time to glance around the house to see that it pretty much looked the same from when he and Will were kids before he saw two more familiar faces hurrying over to him. 

"Well, there he is: the famous author!" Joyce exclaimed before she pulled Mike into a hug. 

Mike couldn't help but melt into Joyce's embrace. She had always been like a second mother to him and he often felt that he related to her more than he did with his own mother. After several moments, Joyce broke the hug and gave Mike a kiss on the cheek.

"How are you doing, honey? It's so good to see you!"

"I'm great, Joyce! Glad to be done with the tour and to have a month off to enjoy time here with everyone!"

"I wish _ I _ got a month off from work," Joyce said jealously but with a smile. "Maybe I should become an author."

"Don't quit your day job, honey," Hopper said playfully, earning him a slap on the arm from Joyce. "How you doing, kiddo?" he added, shaking Mike's hand. "It's good to see you back in town."

"It's good to be back," Mike said. "I didn't mean to not come back for 10 years, but duty calls, I guess."

Within half an hour, the dinner Will and Joyce had prepared was ready and the four of them gathered around the table. They were eating happy and chatting animatedly, catching up on all they had missed from each other's lives since Mike had begun his writing career. They were nearly ready for dessert when Joyce asked Mike the question he was hoping he would get to avoid answering.

"So, Mike, did you ever get married and have kids?" she asked.

Mike froze at hearing her ask this question. His breathing hitched for just a moment and Will shot him a look of concern. Mike shook his head briefly, which seemed to shake him out of the trance he was in for a moment.

"I'm kinda surprised you don't already know the answer to that. I mean, Jonathan did marry my sister, after all," he said.

"Yeah, but we don't talk to Nancy about you. We usually spend time talking about their kids. So, how about it, Mike? Did you find some cute girl and marry her?"

"Uh, no, actually, I didn't," Mike said. Will's eyes shot up at this again and he looked over at Mike, who looked like he was trying to avoid Will's gaze. "I've never gotten married. Hell, I haven't even dated anyone since my career took off. I haven't really had the time for that."

"Oh come on, Mike, a strapping young lad such as yourself hasn't dated anyone in 10 years?" Hopper asked with a grin. "Come on, surely someone has a crush on you."

"I doubt it," Mike said, shaking his head. "Besides, it's not like I even want to date anyone."

"What do you mean?" asked Will, still wondering why Mike hadn't looked at him since he started answering Joyce's question. 

Mike shrugged.

"I don't want anyone to have to make the sacrifices they have to make because of my career. I'm not around a lot and when I am, I'm usually writing my next book or answering questions from my publisher or just working in general. My work consumes me, and I can live with that, but I can't ask someone else to have to make those sacrifices for me. It's not fair to them."

There was an uncomfortable silence after this. Joyce and Hopper simply stared at Mike while Mike caught Will's eyes and grinned at him sadly. Will didn't return the grin and instead stared at Mike with a curious expression on his face. Finally, Joyce spoke up.

"Well, maybe someone would feel that those sacrifices are worth it, Mike. Especially if they get to love you. You're not hard to love, Mike."

"Maybe," Mike said, shrugging again. "But I haven't even been interested in anyone since I started publishing."

"Really?" Hopper asked. "I've read some of your books, Mike, and it doesn't seem that way."

"Yeah, it's almost like somebody would have had to have stolen your heart in order for you to write about the things you write about," Joyce added. 

Mike took a deep breath and gulped down some water, now looking anywhere but at Will. He looked nervous and his face had turned red slightly. He sighed once more before he nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I can't lie and say there wasn't someone, because I think there was, a long time ago. I loved....someone, but I didn't think it would work out after I started writing and going on book tours. So I guess I kinda just gave up on it."

"Did they know?" Will asked in a small voice.

Mike shook his head, still not looking at Will.

"I doubt it. I never told them because by the time I could even admit the feelings to myself, it was too late. My first book was published and I was embarking on a tour around the country. Besides, I don't think they felt the same way about me."

"What makes you say that?" asked Joyce. Mike shrugged. "Well, maybe it's not too late, Mike. You could still them if you wanted."

"Maybe," Mike said. "It was such a long time ago that I don't even know if I feel the same way about them anymore. Maybe the feelings are still there, but I don't know." 

* * *

Will woke with a start. Even though it had been years since he inherited his childhood home, it still felt weird to him to wake up in his mother's old bedroom rather than his own. But he had long since moved from the old room, which he primarily used as a guest room whenever he had visitors. Mike was sleeping in there tonight, while Joyce and Hopper were asleep in Jonathan's old room. 

Right away, Will noticed that his throat was dry. Sighing to himself, he threw the blankets off his body and stepped out of his bed, stretching. He hurried to the kitchen to get a glass of water and drink it before going back to bed. Just when he turned away from the sink and started to sip the water, he noticed the front porch light was on. Frowning slightly, Will walked into the living room and pulled the curtain back hesitantly. Mike was sitting on the swing out on the porch. Will couldn't help but grin as he set down his glass of water on the coffee table and went outside.

Mike appeared to be deep in thought. Will slowly approached the swing, not wanting to interrupt Mike's thoughts. Mike didn't look up until Will sat down next to him and Mike felt the extra weight on the swing.

"Hey," Will said softly.

"Hi," Mike replied.

"Are you okay?" Will asked.

Mike nodded, but hesitated. Will was just glad that Mike was actually looking at him unlike at dinner when Joyce had asked Mike about his love life. Will couldn't figure out why, but it was almost like Mike didn't want him to hear about his love life, as if Will wouldn't approve of Mike never getting married or dating anyone. But Will thought that was ridiculous. Hell, he hadn't even dated anyone since Mike had started his career and he felt no shame in that. He wondered why Mike did.

"I can't get that damn conversation out of my head, Will," Mike said, pulling Will from his thoughts.

"What conversation? The one about your love life?"

Mike nodded but didn't say anything. Will sighed slightly.

"You know you have nothing to be ashamed of, Mike. It's okay that you haven't dated anyone because you've been busy with your career. There's nothing wrong with that."

"It's not that, Will," Mike said hurriedly, sounding slightly annoyed. 

Will frowned at him.

"What is it then?"

"I can't keep thinking about what your Mom said about me telling the person I had feelings for how I feel," Mike whispered. "But I'm afraid of them hating me for telling them the truth after not telling them for so long."

"Mike, nobody could hate you."

"I don't know, Will. Would you hate me if it was you?"

Will's eyes widened and he felt his breathing get caught in his throat. He stared into Mike's eyes and saw that Mike looked just as scared as he felt. Will took a deep breath before he answered.

"What are you saying, Mike?"

Mike sighed deeply.

"It's you, Will," he admitted. "It's always been you. I fell in love with you a long time ago. I knew the feelings were there when I was writing my first book, but I didn't understand them until it was too late. My book had been published and I was leaving Hawkins. I didn't know I'd be leaving for ten years, otherwise maybe I would've said something. I just told myself that I would tell you the next time I saw you, but there wasn't a next time until this afternoon."

Mike took another deep breath before continuing while Will simply stared at him, at a loss for words. 

"God, I'm such a shitty person, Will! I can't believe I did that to you. I hurt you without even realizing it. I threw my feelings away because I was so scared. How could I do that without telling you how I feel? God, you must hate me, Will. _ I _ hate me for god's sake."

"Don't," Will said in a firm voice. He reached over and grabbed Mike's hand. "Don't say that you hate yourself, Mike. Please. I don't want you to talk about yourself like that."

"But I do, Will. I was so stupid. I could've at least let you know how I feel. I could've handled you rejecting me, but I was too scared to face you, Will. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Will whispered. "And you shouldn't feel stupid, Mike. Love is never easy and I get you being scared." Will hesitated. "And for the record, I wouldn't have rejected you."

Mike's eyes widened and he squeezed Will's hand slightly as he stared into Will's eyes, searching for any sign of deception. 

"You wouldn't have?"

Will shook his head.

"Of course not, Mikey. Because I feel the same way about you. I love you, Mike. I always have. I always will."

Mike stared at Will in shock with his mouth open slightly. Finally, he spoke up.

"Thank god," he whispered as he leaned forward, cupping Will's face with his hands. He leaned closer but hesitated, not sure if Will wanted the same thing he did. Will nodded at him, smiling slightly. Mike closed the gap between them and locked lips with Will.

The kiss was nothing like how he described first kisses in his novels. There were no fireworks or bells going off in the background. But there was a rush of emotions. Every single emotion Mike had felt about Will during their childhood and their years apart seemed to come flooding out all at once. Above all, Mike's love for Will and Will's love for Mike dominated both of their feelings. When they broke the kiss to gasp for air, both of them were crying slightly, but they were smiling. 

"Are you sure, Willie?" Mike asked gently as he pressed their foreheads together. "If we're together, you'll have to get used to me being busy all the time when my career picks back up next month and I have to start writing my next book and planning my next tour."

"I'm sure, Mikey," Will replied as he gave Mike a kiss on the cheek. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life. As long as I get to spend my lifetime loving you, Mike, all of the sacrifices will be worth it."

"God I love you so much," Mike said as he wrapped his arms around Will and pulled him in for a tight hug.

"I love you."

They held each other tightly for several moments, not saying a word and not needing to. Finally, Mike broke the silence with their personal love declaration that he only just realized was how they told each other they loved each other when they were kids.

"Crazy together, Willie."

Will chuckled.

"Yeah, crazy together, Mikey." 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that's the end of Camp NaNoWriMo, which means this is the last of my currently planned Byler and Reddie one shots! I'll add more to this collection as more ideas come to me, but I won't be updating it regularly as I'm not moving to other projects.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this one-shot! I loved the idea when it came to me and I knew it would be a great way to close out Camp NaNoWriMo.
> 
> Come yell at/follow me on Tumblr: [@wackywriterwhowriteswhenever](http://wackywriterwhowriteswhenever.tumblr.com)


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